(Nazarbayev University, 2014) Ramankulov, Y. M.; Kurmanbayev, A. A.; Ibragimova, S.; Negmatova, A.; Abdrakhmanova, A.
Marine bacterial biodiversity is an immense library of tools which have a potential in
bioremediation of oil spills [1]. Oil industry is flourishing in the Caspian Sea which is effecting local
environment and we hypothesize that natural seeps and historical anthropogenic leaks have sustained
indigenous microbial communities, including hydrocarbon-oxidizing microorganisms (Picture 1).
Indigenous microbial communities of Northern part of the Sea and their overall metabolic potential have
not been studied comprehensively. We aim to gain knowledge about the bacterial community, determine
specific hydrocarbon degrading species and study their potential in bioremediation of oil-polluted
Caspian Sea waters.